A mobile stroke unit trial in the East Midlands?

Last year a trial of a mobile stroke unit took place in Southend:

The modified ambulance includes a CT scanner, laboratory and state-of-the-art facilities. 

This specialist ambulance allows patients to be diagnosed and treated on board, rather than losing valuable time transporting them to hospital. 

Patients in the unit can receive lifesaving treatment “on the go” when every second counts.

Thst report, which comes from the Braintree & Witham Times, suggests the initiative is now to be used across Eastern England.

Now Phil Knowles, health campaigner and leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Harborough District Council, tells me the East Midlands Ambulance Service is interested in the idea too.

He says:

The mobile stroke unit would need to be strategically placed in the East Midlands to maximise its potential. It may well be that any trial would need to be in a rural area rather than close to a major city stroke unit. That would be a decision for the professionals  

What I do know know is just how important time is when reacting to a stroke and how critical it is for medical professionals to begin treating patients as quickly as possible.